Navejo III ATA-211

Navajo III

(ATA-211: dp. 830; 1. 143', b. 33', dr. 13', s. 13 k. cl. ATA-lSt)

The third Navajo, an auxiliary ocean tug originally designated ATR-138, was redesignated ATA-211 on 13 April 1944 and laid down 20 January 1945 by Gulfport Boiler Jc Welding U orks, Port Arthur, Texas; launched 3 March 1945 - and commissioned at Port Arthur 3 May 1945, Lt. (jg.) James McKnight in command.

Following fitting out and shakedown off Galveston, ATA~ll reported to the Naval Supply Depot, Gulfport, Mississippi 5 June, and thence steamed vla the Panama Canal to San Diego, where she was to join ServRon 2, Pacific.

ATA-2II towed AFL-23 and YT-748 to Pearl Harbor in Jl~ly and remained there to perform ready tug duty and relief towing services with the Waipie Salvage Dock, in the Ocean operations off Pearl Harbor. In October, she cleared Pearl Harbor with YO-12 and YG-28 in tow, and headed for Yokosuka, Japan, where she arrived the 24th. Departing Yokosuka in early November, she returned Pearl Harbor and, joined by ATF-157 and ARD-6, steamed to San Diego. She departed this base 27 December to serve as retriever tug for ATF-167.

After escorting A TF-167 through the Panama Canal, ATA-£II cleared Coco Solo 5 February 1946 and touched at Key West before arriving the U.S. Naval Station, Algiers Louisiana, 11 February. She remained in the 8th Naomi District for most of the remainder of her Naval career, providng towing service to ports such as Mobile Galveston, Pensacola, and Charleston, and assisting in off-tLore salvage operations.

ATA-8II was named Navejo 15 July 1948. She continued operations off the Gulf states and Bermuda into 1962. Decommissioning 10 April 1962, she was stricken from the Navy List 1 May 1962 and was subsequently sold to Twenty Grand Marine Service, Inc., Morgan City, Louisiana, in 1963.